Apparatus for the continuous distillation of wine lees and the like materials



March 22, 1955 E. PETRICH APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DISTILLATION OF WINE LEES AND THE LIKE MATERIALS Filed Oct. 8, 1951 INVENTOR WM United States PatentO APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DISTILLA- TION OF WINE LEES AND THE LIKE MATE- Elso Petrich, Maipu, Mendoza, Argentina Application October 8, 1951, Serial No. 250,211

2 Claims. (Cl. 202-173) The present invention relates to apparatus for the continuous distillation of wine lees and the like materials, irrespective of whether such materials are fresh, wet, pressed or unpressed. More particularly the present invention relates to an apparatus of the kind described in which the material to be treated shall be simultaneously diluted for the purpose of subsequently recovering the soluble matter contained in said material.

heretofore, material of the type of wine lees has been treated for the recovery of volatiles by first diluting the material with cold water while being agitated in a suitable apparatus, whereupon the diluted material has been fed to a distilling apparatus, such as a simple still, or a battery of stills or a distillation tower.

'lhe known methods and apparatus therefore lead to a two-stage processing, the need for considerable power for the agitation of the material undergoing dilution, and surfer rrom other incidental drawbacks.

it is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide apparatus for the distillation of wine lees and the like materials, which shall be of simplified construction and shall permit the steps of dilution and distillation of the material to be carried out simultaneously and continuously.

Another ob ect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind described in which the mechanical parts shall be highly simplified and reduced to the essentials for feeding the material into the apparatus, in a readily controllable manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the type described which shall be capable of being operated with a demand of power which shall be appreciably small when compared to the demands of known apparatus of a like kind.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the kind described in which the amount of labor required for operating it can be reduced to the minimum necessary for gradually and continuously charging the apparatus and in which the operation of the apparatus shall be simplified by the elimination of all moving parts except for the feeding device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the kind described which shall be substantially free from choking or similar interference with the operation thereof and which shall be of long life owing to the absence of moving parts in contact with the material in solution, which always contains abrasive substances such as sand, earth and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the kind described in which the discharge of the final solution shall be eifected, to the exclusion of mechanical pumps, by the aid of the pressure obtaining within the apparatus.

A further object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the kind described which shall permit a considerable economy to be effected in the amount of steam used, shall be of relatively reduced bulk and shall have a relatively high output.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent in the course of the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, which have been illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view taken through so the apparatus of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a partition.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a combined distilling and diluting apparatus for the treattnent of wine lees and the like which includes an elongated tubular generally cylindrical shell 1 that is supported with its axis in a horizontal plane.

The shell 1' is divided internally into a number of compartments, such as the compartments 2, 2 and 2", by means of partitions 3' and 3". Each partition has an aperture 4 ofiset from the center, and the partitions are installed in the shell 1 in such a manner that the lowest point of the aperture is on a level with the liquid contained in the shell, said liquid level being determined in a manner to be hereinafter described. In order to compel the fluids passing from one chamber to another to follow an undulating circular path, the partitions are mounted in the shell 1 alternatively displaced through so that if the aperture 4 of one partition is to the left of the centre, as shown in Figure 2, the aperture of the next partition will be to the right as shown in Figure 3.

In order to increase the length of path through which the fluids have to pass, and to avoid Stratification, I prefer to locate between at least some of the partitions 3' and 3", bafiles 5 which extend widthwise the full width of the shell 1', whereby I may form a passage both at the top and the bottom as shown at 6 and 6a in Figures 1 and 4, where I have shown baflles 5' defining said upper and lower openings.

If the partitions having a plain perforation 4 such as the partitions 3' and 3" are installed in the shell 1, it will readily be appreciated that since the apertures 4 extend above the level of the liquid, not only may liquid pass from one compartment to another compartment, but vapors may also pass at the same time. At some stages or when dealing with some materials, it may be desirable to have only liquid pass from one compartment to another to the exclusion of the vapors. To this end I may provide partitions with a downwardly directed duct, such as partition 3", which have a rectangular aperture 4', and, on the side which, in the assembled condition, will be remote from the input end of the shell 1, I provide a downwardly directed duct 23 which extends well below the aperture 4 and is open only at its lower end 24, which lower end will be submerged in the liquid contained in the shell 1'. Thus, a hydrostatic seal is provided to prevent the egress from one compartment of vapors while permitting the outflow of liquid through the aperture 4' and the duct 23.

Continuing now with the description of Figure 1, at the upper portion of one end, hereinafter referred to as the input end, of the shell 1, I provide a feeding arrangement 7, diagrammatically shown as a hopper 7a with an endless screw feed 7b of conventional construction, although I may use any other convenient feeding means which will ensure a vapor proof seal such as may be formed by a local accumulation of feed material as indicated at 8. In order to facilitate the dispersal of the material in the hot liquid contained in the shell, particularly in the first compartment 2 thereof, I may provide at the discharge end of the feeding device 7 a comminuting device such as a set of rotary cutting blades 8 to comminute the material as it is fed into the shell.

At the opposite, output end of the shell, I provide a liquid discharge pipe 9 of the siphon type as shown, from which the discharge solution may be conducted to any desired place for storage or further treatment. Said siphon type discharge tube provides a liquid seal at the output end of shell 1' to prevent the escape of vapors at this point, and moreover, acts to define the general level of liquid within the shell 1' so that the apertures 4' of the partitions will be on the same level as the mouth 9a of the discharge tube 9.

For the purpose of heating the liquid contents of shell 1', I provide for each chamber at the bottom thereof, a steam injector 10, which may be of any convenient type and may have one or more straight or curved nozzles, as may be preferred according to the amount of agitation it is desired to produce in the liquid mass.

In the upper part of the shell 1, I provide an alcohol vapor discharge pipe 11 located in the neighbourhood of the input end of the shell and preferably in direct communication with the first compartment 2. Said pipe 11 is adapted to take oif to any desired destination the vapor given off in all of the compartments, said vapors flowing towards pipe 11 from the remoter departments 2', 2" through the apertures 4' of partitions 3' and 3". The concentration of these alcoholic vapors will depend on the degree of dilution of liquid material in the shell 1'. I may also conveniently provide a refluxed return pipe 12 which may be connected to reflux or other condensers with which pipe 11 may be in communication as would normally be the case, in order to return to the shell 1' any liquids flowing back from said condensers. Inasmuch as the condensers and other auxiliary apparatus is not part of this invention, and the construction and purpose thereof is sufliciently understood by those skilled in the art, they have not been shown in the drawings.

For the purpose of adjusting the concentration of the liquid contents of the shell 1', I provide a water inlet pipe 13 including a control valve 14, located preferably at the input end of the shell and at about the same height as the liquid level. Thus while recovering the alcoholic vapors in a continuous manner, I may simultaneously dilute to any desired degree the liquid mass flowing towards the output end of the shell 1, said dilution being produced partly by the condensation of steam admitted through the steam jets 10, partly by the reflux of liquids returning through pipe 12, and partly by water admitted in controlled quantities through the pipe 13.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been provided a shell 1' with a feeding arrangement 7 and comminuting device 8', as well as with a vapor discharge pipe 11, reflux return duct 12, water inlet pipe 13 and valve 14 and siphon type discharge pipe 9. Internally, the shell 1' is divided into a number of compartments 2, 2' and 2" by partitions 3' and 3", the partitions 3' having a plain aperture 4 separating the first compartment 2 from the second compartment 2, and the partition 3" having the vapor impermeable duct 23 being installed to separate the compartment 2' from the last compartment 2". Since vapors accumulating in the compartment 2" cannot escape either through the discharge pipe 9 or through the partition 3", I provide ejector means 25 associated with a steam jet a which is thereby differentiated from the other steam jets 10 associated with compartments 2 and 2". The ejector means 25 is connected by a riser pipe 26 through a valve 27 to a connecting pipe 28, said connecting pipe being mounted outside the shell and having a branch 28a communicating with the interior of compartment 2" and a branch 28b including a valve 29 communicating with the intermediate compartment 3'. The ejector device 25 has connected to it a steam supply pipe 30. With this arrangement if the valve 29 is opened and the valve 27 is closed, free communication is established between the two chambers 2" and 2', whereby vapors collecting above the liquid level in compartment 2" may pass freely by the branch 28a along the pipe 28 and by branch 28!: and open valve 29 to the compartment 2'. If, however, valve 29 be closed, and the valve 27 be opened, then the vapors collecting in compartments 2" will be drawn along the branch 28a, pipe 28 past valve 27 and down the pipe 26 to the injector 25 and thence to the steam jet 10a, when steam is allowed to flow to said jet from the steam pipe 30. Thereby said accumulated vapors from compartment 3" are injected into the compartment 2', through the liquid contents thereof, the rate of injection being controlled by the degree of opening of valve 27 for a given setting of the steam supply through pipe 30. The advantage of causing the accumulated vapors from the compartment 2" to be injected as just described into compartment 2', is that said vapors do not merely mix with the vapors contained in compartment 2", but bubble through the liquid in compartment 2' giving rise to heat exchange effects, whereby the alcoholic content of the vapors leaving the compartments nearest to the input end of the apparatus is increased rather than decreased.

The apparatus hereinabove described operates in general in the following manner. The shell 1' is first filled with water; for instance by means of the water supply pipe 13, up to the normal liquid level, determined by the position of the mouth 9a of the discharge pipe 9. When the shell has thus been filled, steam is admitted through the steam nozzles 10, or 10 and 10a, until the water boils. When the water boils, material for treatment may commence to be filled into the shell whereupon alcohol vapors will begin to escape through the pipe 11. The valve 29 is left open during the filling with water and the raising of the water to boiling point, but said valve 29 is closed and valve 27 opened when the feeding of the material commences, until the pressure in compartment 2" is the same as in the other compartments.

The supply of water is adjusted by means of valve 14 to secure the desired dilution of the liquid mass passing through the shell.

The first volumes of liquid discharged through the pipe 9 are rejected as they will be practically pure water, until the solution reaches the discharge. Arrival of the solution at the discharge can be immediately detected by the colour and the look of the effiuent. Feeding of material is then continued and so long as material is fed into the apparatus, it will be treated therein in a continuous manner to provide desirably dilute solution at the discharge end and to discharge alcohol vapours through the pipe 11 as heerinabove explained.

It is to be understood that the means impelling the liquid contained in the shell 1' towards the discharge pipe 9, is the vapor pressure generated in the shell due to the boiling of the liquid and the introduction of the steam.

Although I have hereinabove described the present invention with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that I do not intend to be limited thereby but that I may make all such changes and modifications therein as lie within the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the continuous distillation with simultaneous dilution of wine lees and the like materials, comprising a shell having a substantially closed input end and a substantially closed output end, at least one partition mounted inside said shell transversely thereof and defining therewithin a plurality of compartments including an input compartment adjacent said input end and an output compartment adjacent said output end, said compartments being disposed lengthwise in succession within the shell, continuous feed means including a delivery end mounted at said input end for continuously feeding material to be treated into said input compartment, comminuting means mounted at said delivery end for comminuting material delivered by said feeding means on entry into said input compartment, siphon type discharge means mounted at said output end for continuously discharging treated material from said output compartment, said discharge means having an end communicating with the interior of said output compartment and the other end positioned to define a normal level for liquid Within the shell, an aperture in each partition for establishing communication between said compartments to permit at least flow of liquid from said input compartment to said dischar e means, bafile means extending width ise of said hell in at least one compartment, said bafile means defining an upper passage for vapors above said liquid level and a lower passage for liquid below said liquid level, a vapor outlet pipe communicating with said input compartment above said liquid level for permitting egress of vapors collecting in said input compartment, steam inlet means communicating with each compartment below said linuid level, and controllable water inlet means communicating with said input compartment.

2. Apparatus for the continuous distillation with simultaneous dilution of wine lees and the like, containing alcoholic residues, comprising a shell having a substantial v closed input end and a substantially closed output end. a plurality of partitions mounted transversely in said shell and defining therewithin a pluralitv of compartments including an input compartment adiacent said in ut end, an output compartment adjacent said output end and at least one intermediate compartment, said compartments being disposed lengthwise in succession in said shell, continuous feeding means mounted at said input end for continuously feeding material to be treated to said input compartment, siphon type discharge means mounted at said output end for continuously discharging treated material from said output compartment, said discharge means having a free end located to define a normal level for liquid inside said shell, a substantially unobstructed aperture in the partition located between said input compartment and the next adjacent intermediate compartment, an obstructed aperture in at least the partition located between said next adjacent compartment and the immeditaely following compartment, a duct located on the side of said last named partition remote from said next adjacent compartment, said duct communicating with said obstructed aperture and having an outlet opening only below said liquid level, a connecting pipe connecting said next adjacent compartment and said following compartment above said liquid level and including a control valve, a vapor outlet pipe communicating above said liquid level with said input compartment, controllable water inlet means communicating with said input compartment, steam inlet means for each compartment communicating with the interior thereof below said liquid level, ejector means connected to the steam inlet means pertaining to said following compartment, a riser pipe including a valve extending from said ejector means to said connecting pipe on the side of said control valve remote from said next adjacent compartment, whereby only liquid material may fiow from said next adjacent compartment to said following compartment through said partition, and vapor collecting in said following compartment may be caused to flow to said next adjacent compartment in a selected one of two alternative paths, one of said paths being defined above said liquid level by said connecting pipe and the other of said paths being defined by said riser pipe, said ejector means and the corresponding steam inlet means, to discharge said vapors in slaid next adjacent compartment below said liquid eve References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 631,461 Guillaume Aug. 22, 1899 1,340,653 Gibson May 18, 1920 1,366,642 Evans Ian. 25, 1921 1,615,991 Mason Feb. 1, 1927 1,653,431 Hanna et a1. Dec. 20, 1927 1,660,856 Bell et a1 Feb. 28, 1928 1,832,853 Bennett Nov. 24, 1931 2,106,583 Webb Jan. 25, 1938 2,459,951 Metzner June 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 46,986 Austria Mar. 27, 1911 

1. APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DISTILLATION WITH SIMULTANEOUS DILUTION OF WINE LEES AND THE LIKE MATERIALS, COMPRISING A SHELL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED INPUT END AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED OUTPUT END, AT LEAST ONE PARTITION MOUNTED INSIDE SAID SHELL TRANSVERSELY THEREOF AND DEFINING THEREWITH A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMENTS INCLUDING AN INPUT COMPARTMENT ADJACENT SAID INPUT END AND AN OUTPUT COMPARTMENT ADJACENT SAID OUTPUT END, SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING DISPOSED LENGHTWISE IN SUCCESION WITHIN THE SHELL, CONTINUOUS FEED MEANS INCLUDING A DELIVERY END MOUNTED AT SAID INPUT END OF CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING MATERIAL TO BE TREATED INTO SAID INPUT COMPARTMENT, COMMINUTING MEANS MOUNTED AT SAID DELIVERY END FOR COMMINUTING MATERIAL DELIVERED BY SAID FEEDING MEANS ON ENTRY INTO SAID INPUT COMPARTMENT, SIPHON TYPE DISCHARGE MEANS MOUNTED AT SAID OUTPUT END FOR CONTINUOUSLY DICHARGING TREATED MATERIAL FROM SAID OUTPUT COMPARTMENT, SAID DISCHARGE MEANS HAVING AN END COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID OUTPUT COMPARTMENT AND THE OTHER END POSITIONED TO DEFINE A NORMAL LEVEL FOR LIQUID WITHIN THE SHELL, AN APERTURE IN EACH PARTITION FOR ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID COMPARTMENTS TO PERMIT AT LEAST FLOW OF LIQUID FROM SAID INPUT COMPARTMENT TO SAID DISCHARGE MEANS, BAFFLE MEANS EXTENDING WIDTHWISE OF SAID SHELL IN AT LEAST ONE COMPARTMENT. SAID BAFFLE MEANS DEFINING AN UPPER PASSAGE FOR VAPORS ABOVE SAID LIQUID LEVEL AND A LOWER PASSAGE FOR LIQUID BELOW SAID LIQUID LEVEL, A VAPOR OUTLET PIPE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INPUT COMPARTMENT ABOVE SAID LIQUID LEVEL FOR PERMITTING EGRESS OF VAPORS COLLECTING IN SAID INPUT COMPARTMENT, STEAM INLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH EACH COMPARTMENT BELOW SAID LIQUID LEVEL, AND CONTROLLABLE WATER INLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INPUT COMPARTMENT. 